So This Is Love
by soulsistersinaslan
Summary: A lonely girl and a lonely boy. Fate brought them together, love made them strong. Fate tore them apart, love brought them back to one another. Jasper/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight. Only my original characters like Lucy, Charles and Anna.

**Lucy POV**

I never thought I was different. Then again, I never had anyone ever tell me I was different. I was home schooled all my life and then I worked for my parents' companies when they passed on. They left everything to me when they died. I got all the houses, the jets, the money, complete control of all the businesses, and I got to keep the staff we had. I loved them, especially Charles. He always addressed me as 'Miss Lucy' so I addressed him as Charles even though he told me to call him 'Charlie'; it's been years since we started this argument and we have yet to come to a compromise.

This day started out as any other day. I got up, showered and got dressed before heading downstairs to eat my breakfast in the kitchen with the staff in there. They were lovely ladies and gentlemen and always welcomed me in their domain. They have taught me many things over the years, about cooking and about life. I was surprised to find out just how similar both were. Once I had finished my breakfast I made my way to one of my many offices to check my email before heading into work. There was mainly junk mail so I decided to just go through everything when I got to work. I had the option of working from home but I liked going in and interacting with people, even though they thought I was strange.

Ever since I was a little girl I have felt an intense connection with nature, be it with animals or plants or anything else. I never really had any friends because my parents were always traveling and I went with them. I didn't think I was missing out on anything because I never knew there was another way of life. But I was happy. My parents were constantly running to meetings and parties, leaving me behind and one day they brought home a tiny puppy for me. It wasn't the same as having them with me but it sure made me happy. That little pup followed me everywhere and when she died, I was absolutely devastated. That was until I was saying my final goodbyes and she started breathing again, reverting back to the tiny puppy she was when I first held her. That was the first time I realized something was different about me. I was 9 years old.

Shaking my head to rid myself of that memory, I gathered my purse and coat and headed out the door, letting Charles know I was leaving for work when I saw him at the door. He nodded and told me dinner would be ready at 6pm, knowing I was never late for a meal. I wasn't fat, no, far from it. I was tiny, only 5'2'' with long dark brown hair that fell to mid-back in gentle waves. My eyes were as dark as my hair; some would day they are mysterious but I thought they were rather boring. I loved dance ever since I was a small child so I was very toned, but not overly muscular, nor was I under weight. I guess I was average for my height. It didn't bother me much, only when I saw other girls getting all the attention from the guys in a room. Like at one party I held at my home for some benefactors. I thought I was quite pretty that night in my new dress but no one glanced my way unless I talked to them personally about the money they were donating or spending on my projects. It hurt my feelings, but Charles fixed that with a bowel of ice cream once everyone had left.

I got into my car and set off for work. I parked in my designated spot once I arrived and entered the building. No one acknowledged me as I made my way to the elevator. Once inside I pushed the button for the top floor, where my office was the only one there, except for my secretary. Anna was amazing. She never once complained about anything and was always nice to me. She was a middle-aged woman with a husband and 2 kids at home whom she loved dearly. She reminded me of my mother, or what I actually remember of her. I waved 'good morning' and entered my office, leaving the door ajar in case I needed anything. I turned on my computer and waited for it load, not knowing that my day was going to get very crazy in a few short hours. But honestly, I would not change what happened if I could, for what followed brought the most amazing man into my life. And he was all mine.

**AN: ** Please be nice. This is my first attempt at a Twilight Saga fanfiction. Please review and share any ideas that you may have for my story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight. Only my original characters like Lucy, Charles and Anna.

**Jasper POV**

Another day, another city. When I escaped from Maria, I did not think my life would be this boring. Moving from town to town, never in one place for too long because people would get suspicious. Whoever heard of someone looking like they were 20 when they were supposed to be 38. Yep, life was boring. Even Peter and Charlotte couldn't get me to be excited about anything and that's saying something. Who knows. Perhaps my self-control has gotten so good that it also applies to my powers, not just my eating preferences. As an empath I should be able to easily join in with Peter and Charlotte when their emotions are extreme, but for some reason they do not affect me anymore. I think a call to Carlisle is in order. Carlisle Cullen crossed my path a while back when I was still trying to figure out how to leave Maria without getting killed. I was sent on an errand to find out about his family. They were 'vegetarian' vampires. They only ate animals. Strange bunch they were, but funny and sweet. They acted more like a family rather than a coven. And they were powerful. Edward could read minds, Alice could see the future, Emmett was unbeatable in strength, Rosalie mentally paralyzed any being with her beauty and Carlisle...well, I found that he was like Peter in a way. There was a power but nothing that I could firmly define. It drove me crazy. Carlisle with all his control managed to masquerade as a doctor in the human world. He was extremely knowledgeable and could diagnose and fix any ailment one may have, be it human or vampire. He would be able to help me understand what was wrong with my power.

I had just finished unpacking my room in our new home when Peter came bursting in, throwing my door almost off its hinges. There was a small silence and then,

"I swear to fuck if you break anything today, Peter, you will answer to me!"

Charlotte always did have a way with words. Chuckling to myself I sat on my bed and waited for Peter to shake off the fear his wife had instilled in him two seconds ago.

"Well, Jasper, how do you like the digs? Pretty sweet, huh?"

"I guess so. No different from any other place we've been."

"What the fuck is the matter with you? One day you were you, and the next day you weren't."

"That pretty much sums it up."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I have absolutely no clue! I don't know what's wrong with me! Don't you think I've already tried to fix whatever is wrong?! But how can I when I can't even tell you what the problem is."

"Chill man, I'm sorry. It's just that I've never seen you this way, ever. And you know me, I always no shit and I had no clue this was going to happen."

"It's alright. I'm sorry I blew up in your face. I don't like this feeling Pete. I don't like it at all. It almost feels like something is missing. And you know how I get when things aren't exactly how I like them."

"Yeah, no need to remind me Major. I was there with you for nearly all of it. Scary shit, man, scary shit."

I breathed deeply and flopped backwards on the bed. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what could have happened to make me feel this way. My demon was screaming at me for something but it was like even it didn't know what it wanted. It just wanted something. Something was missing. And I had absolutely no clue. I definitely didn't want to go back to how I was with Maria and even though I respected the Cullens, I don't think I was itching to be a vegetarian. I hope Carlisle had the answer. I needed to call him as soon as possible.

"Hey man, lets go get us some cell phones and then you can make your call to the doc, okay?" Peter questioned.

I agreed with him since there was no point in arguing. He always knew. And it sucked. We walked downstairs and found Charlotte arranging the living room to her liking.

"Babe, we're gonna go in the city and get some stuff we'll need, you know cell phones and other gadgets. Do you want or need anything?" Peter asked.

"No I'm good. Just make sure you both don't cause a scene like last time. I would like you back in one piece without the police escort."

I felt my lips curl up in a smile. Now that was a fun time.

"I promise babe, right to the store and back."

"Okay."

"You don't believe me?"

"Nope."

"Not even a little?"

"Nada."

Peter heavily sighed and then straightened, giving Char a gentle kiss on the cheek before heading out the door.

"Jasper -"

"I'll watch him."

"Thank you."

I waved goodbye and followed Peter out the door. It was cloudy enough for us to be outside today and to take advantage of that fact, we rode into the city in the convertible. I'll never understand why they wanted to move to a city like Paris. It was usually sunny all the time and days like this were rare. Oh who knows when it comes to Peter and Char. They went where the wind took them and for some reason or another they decided to drag me along with them. But it's not like I had anywhere else to go. They were family, the only family I had. About an hour later we reached the city limits and tried to find a nice place to shop downtown. We drove past many respectable shops but Peter never stopped.

"You just drove past nearly every store in the city. Where do you think we're going?"

"The Avenue des Champs-_Élysées._"

"Char is going to kill you."

"It's my money. I can do whatever the hell I want with it."

"It's funeral, fucker."

"Yeah, yeah."

And with the end of that conversation we headed to one of Paris's most famous land marks. This was going to be a very long day indeed.

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AN: Please review. I really do read them all and I do take comments into consideration. I also update faster. So yeah, click that link on the bottom of the page and please leave a review. No flames though, just constructive criticism.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight. Only my original characters.

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**Lucy POV**

After a hectic morning filled with numerous phone calls and cups of coffee, I decided that I needed to get out of my office for lunch. Make that an extended lunch. I packed up my laptop and gathered my purse before making my way out of my office, locking it behind me. I said a short goodbye to my secretary, letting her know that I would be out for an extended amount of time and that if anything came up to call me, but only if it needed my immediate attention. Once I exited the building, I hailed a cab and headed toward my favorite restaurant at my favorite place in Paris- 1728 on the Champs-Élysées. I found this amazing restaurant when I was wandering around the city one day. It is the perfect spot for a relaxing lunch and tea. Not too many tourists and it is located in the most amazing 18th century style mansion. Stepping out of the cab I breathed in the fresh air and smiled for the first time in a few hours. I love that I am able to run my company myself and make sure that things are how they should be but sometimes I need a break. I would love to be able to come home to a hot dinner in front of the roaring fireplace, cuddled up with my love. But sadly this would never be. I never have the time to even think about boys. Besides, I am some random freak of nature and no one would want me once they found out.

Shaking my head at these thoughts I entered the restaurant and greeted the host, Paul. Paul was an older man who has worked here in Paris his whole life. He has worked at 1728 for several years now and is head of the hostess staff. He smiled at me and lead me to my favorite table, a table for two just outside on the veranda. This allowed me to observe the city and its people without being disturbed myself. Though it was cloudy today it was still warm enough for me to sit outside. A waiter came and took my tea order and allowed me some time to decide what I wanted to eat. As I was looking through the menu I could not shake the feeling that someone was watching me. It wasn't a bad feeling. It was almost, warming. My tea arrived and I prepared it the way I like it. As I raised the cup to my lips I turned my attention back to inside the restaurant to see the most amazing sight in the world. Next thing I know, that amazing sight is running toward me while everything went black.

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**Peter POV**

After spending a ridiculous amount of MY money on electronics for the house and fun little gadgets for me and my lovely mate, I decided that it was a good idea to go find Jasper. Who knows what kind of trouble he got into when my back was turned? Well, I guess I am the one who gets in trouble when someone turns their back. Details, details. Anyway, I exited the electronic store with a happy grin on my beautiful face when I got the weirdest sensation. It was almost like how you feel when playing hide-and-seek with someone and you know they are right behind you, and yet you still think they can't see you. I just couldn't shake it. I mean, I know things and I know this is very important, but what could be coming my way? I shook my head and made my way down the street, looking for the Major. I found him window shopping. That boy needs to get his act together. I approached him and hoped he was in the mood for a good joke.

"Hey man, for a minute there I though you were Charlotte," I said while laughing.

"..."

"Hello? Did you hear me? I just called you a girl. Hello?" I said while waving my hand in front of his face.

He did nothing but push my hand away. This was strange. Usually he would drop me to my knees in fear. Nothing. He just continued to stare in the window. I turned to see what he was looking at and suddenly everything became clear. I finally understood why I had that funny feeling earlier. Yes sir, our Major was in for a real treat. I turned back to him to let him in on my little secret when I noticed him bolting towards the back of the restaurant. Oh boy, this was not good.

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**Jasper POV**

I made my way down the street, entering shops that appealed to me. Of course they were high end retail stores. Just because I am dead doesn't mean that I don't like nice things. I picked a new cell phone and some other gadgets to entertain myself with and made sure that all packages would be delivered to my house. I really didn't feel like carrying everything around. I did a lot of shopping. I figured it was better to get it done now before Char got any ideas in her pretty little head. Even though I was her sire, she still thought that I couldn't manage to take care of myself. Guess it comes from living with Peter as her mate for so long. I swear there is something wrong with that boy.

I ventured into many other stores buying everything from clothing to shoes, accessories to bathing soaps. I was walking along the sidewalk I was suddenly hit with an intense longing. My beast roared up and I could have sworn he took over for a brief second before I regained control of myself. I had no idea what provoked this reaction because there was no threat nearby. I continued walking, in hopes of escaping whatever it was that was causing me to feel this way but the feeling only intensified the further I went. It got to the point where I was ready to attack someone when I stopped in front of a restaurant to gather what was left of my sanity. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath and exhaled opening my eyes. What awaited my sight was nothing short of incredible. I was completely entranced by this creature. My beast roared again, this time in pleasure, urging me forward, urging me to claim her as mine. How I kept my head I don't know but I somehow managed to quell the beast for now. That would come later. It would not do well to scare this lovely thing away. Something fluttered in front of my face and I brushed it aside. I felt my brother's presence next me and I let out a low growl in warning. He would not get near her. She was MINE!

I was about to warn him again when I noticed him looking at her, when all of a sudden I heard her heart rate pick up. My eyes snapped to hers and what I saw made my dead heart clench in terror. I could hear her heart pick up even more and her breathing get short. She started to sway slightly in her seat and that's when I bolted into the restaurant straight toward the veranda where she sat. Somehow I remembered to run at a quick human pace so as not to draw attention to myself, barely making it in time to catch her as she fell out of her chair. I couldn't let myself think about what would have happened had I not made it. I caught her tiny body in my arms and moved to take her back into the restaurant, looking for a soft booth to lay her down on. Peter, along with someone whom I assumed was the host, came rushing to my side immediately.

"Here, here. Lay her down here," said the man.

"What happened, man? One minute we're trying to decide if we wanted to eat here and the next you are bolting through the door like some crazy animal."

I knew that was Peter's usual way of scolding me for my actions in public but I was not in the mood to listen to his bullshit right now. This waif of a girl was all I could think about and he was going to respect that or suffer my wrath. I growled again in my throat in yet another warning to him. I am hoping that he understood this last message because if he didn't, Charlotte would be looking for a new mate. Luckily for him, he backed off and turned his attention where it should have been, to the girl laying on the booth.

"What happened, sir? What happened to her? What did you see?" the host asked me.

"I don't know what happened sir. I was with my friend here and we were gonna walk in when I noticed the young woman on the veranda start to sway in her seat. I apologize for disrupting your place of business but I feared something bad would happen if I didn't get to her. I just wanted to make sure she was okay," I replied.

"You have my thanks, good sir. My name is Paul, I run the hostess staff here. And that there is Miss Lucy Degas. She is very dear to us here. Please, are you a doctor? Is she going to be okay?" he nervously asked me.

"She'll be fine. It appears that she has just fainted," Peter answered.

I trusted his answer. He knew things. He wouldn't lie to me.

"Are you sure?" Paul asked again.

"Yes sir. I am a doctor and I know the symptoms. My friend here caught Miss Degas before anything happened. It is a good thing too, because if she would have hit her head she would have needed a hospital. But luckily she didn't so she should come around soon. Could you make sure that she has some water and something sweet to eat. I fear that her blood sugar level must be low right now and that is what caused her to faint," Peter answered.

He better not be lying to me.

"Thank you, sir. I will be right back with what you have requested," Paul said as he hurried away.

"Peter, I swear you had better be telling the truth. If not so help me I will rip you apart and bury your parts all over this fucking world!" I growled.

"I am not lying to you, Major. It is nothing serious and she will be waking up soon. Just put your hands on her face. You're cold enough to wake her up. I think you will be very happy with the result," he smugly said.

With one more glance at my nut job of a brother, I turned my full attention back to the angel laying in front of me. I slowly raised a hand to her face, gently cupping her soft, plush, rosy cheek in my palm. Her warmth was nearly scorching in its intensity. I heard her breathing speed up and her heart increase in tempo. She turned her head into my palm, slightly nuzzling my hand. My dead heart clenched and my beast quieted. The monster, for the first time in years, was calm. The longing I had felt before increased dramatically before it disappeared all together when Miss Degas opened her eyes. Call me egotistical but I couldn't help the smugness I felt when her eyes immediately focused on me. My beast and myself wanted to be the first thing she saw when she woke up for the rest of our time with her. No, I would not leave. Not now. Not when I knew I was so close to what I wanted, what I needed.

"Hey there, darlin'. You gave us quite the scare. How do you feel?" I asked her in a soft, soothing voice. I did not want to frighten her. Her big brown eyes focused in on my face, recognizing that it was me who had spoken to her. Her scent became more potent, her pupils dilated and her breathing hitched for a moment. Yes, she was attracted to me. As she should be. I am exactly what she needs.

"Hi," she managed to squeak out, with a blush rising from her chest to her cheeks. My beast was dying to know how far that blush went down her body. And if I was being honest with myself, the man in me puffed out his chest a little more, too.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Um, I, uh, yes, I mean, I think so," she said.

"Do you think you can sit up, darlin'?"

"I'll try."

And so she tried to push herself into a sitting position but failed. I thankfully had my hand behind her back and caught her before she hurt herself. I helped her maneuver into a sitting position and seating myself right beside her. I noticed that Paul had returned and that he smiled at seeing Miss Degas awake and alert.

"Miss Lucy, are you alright? These gentlemen said you just fainted. Thankfully they noticed or else I fear you might have taken quite the spill," he sincerely said.

I growled low in my chest at the thought of something happening to her. Peter heard and let out a growl of his own, reminding me of where we were and who I was sitting next to, in public.

"Thank you, Paul. It was sweet of you to be worried about me, but I assure you I am fine. Thank you, gentlemen, for rescuing me from a nasty fall. I'll just return to my seat and leave you all in peace," she said as she stood up, only to fall back into my waiting arms.

"I don't think so darlin'. You ain't goin' no where. Not on my watch. Not until you eat something and have something to drink. Now just sit yourself down and eat a little bit," I said gently, yet firmly.

"Sir, I promise I am fine. I am just clumsy and – "

"And nothing. Please sit down and eat. For my sake," I pleaded, turning up my southern charm.

Thankfully she only huffed and sat herself back down. I guess good ol' Texan charm works even in Paris. Once she was seated again Paul placed a small tray of sweets and some tea in front of her. She smiled sweetly at him in thanks and daintily picked up a raspberry pastry and ate it. She sipped her tea as she ate her tray of goodies, all the while maintaining proper etiquette. Slowly I was able to get a slight read on her emotions: happiness at eating her sweets and drinking her tea, embarrassment at seemingly thinking she looked like a pig when she ate, and attraction. My beast roared up with pleasure knowing that this lovely peach thought I was attractive. As she should. As she ate I was also able to take time to admire this tiny thing. Her brown eyes were so large, drawing you in before you even realized it. They were such a dark brown, almost black, and that just attracted me even more to her. I knew that my eyes turned black when I was hungry and when I was aroused. Seeing that her eyes were normally so dark just excited the man and beast within me. Her heart-shaped face was smooth and blemish free, holding a bit of sunshine in its color. I could tell she enjoyed her time outdoors and loved to bask in the sunlight whenever she could. She had a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and on the apples of her cheeks, giving her a youthful appearance. Her hair was the same color of her eyes, and was long with a slight curl to it, ending just at her waist. I wanted to bury my hands in her hair and feel those silken strands run through my fingers all day. Her lips, oh sweet darlin', her lips. Soft pink in color and full in appearance, they were just begging me to ravish them. I raked my gaze down her body, finding her fit and tight with curves in all the right places. She must work out because there was not an ounce of fat on her body at all, yet she still managed to appear soft and feminine. If I was this aroused by just looking at her with clothes on, someone help me when I got her naked in my bed. I felt my jeans tighten even more and shifted to try to accommodate my erection. Unfortunately all I managed to do was gain a laugh from Peter and a questioning look from Miss Degas.

"I'm good. Just worried that you might faint again," I said.

"I feel much better now. Thank you for making sure that I ate something. I must have had a more stressful morning than I thought."

"May I ask what has you so stressed out, Little One?" Peter asked in concern.

"Oh it's nothing, just work," she responded firmly.

I could tell that she didn't want to talk about it anymore and decided to steer the conversation away from her work. I exchanged a short glance with Peter, making sure that he understood we would be looking into her work later. She would not be stressed. Not any more. I would take care of her. We chatted for a while before Paul came back over to check on her again. She insisted she was fine but asked for the time. We were informed that it was 2:30pm in the afternoon.

"Oh my! I cannot believe I have wasted all this time here. I need to get back to the office. There is so much I still have to do and I have so many clients I need to meet with before checking in on the fashion designers. Oh, I cannot believe I let myself lose track of time. Anna will be so upset with me!" she exclaimed.

"Hold on a minute there Little One. No one is going to be mad at you. Just take a breath. Now what's going on? Why would this Anna person be mad at you?" Peter questioned for me.

He knew I was extremely upset because Miss Degas was upset. It would not do well for me to lose my temper in front of her.

"Anna is my secretary. I run a very important company and I am supposed to be back in my office right now. I brought my laptop with me in order to get some work done while I ate lunch but obviously that didn't happen. I left her all alone to handle all of my affairs at the office and I just know she will not be happy with me."

"Don't worry dear one, I am sure Anna will understand. You have never been late before and once you explain what happened I am sure she will insist you take the rest of the day off, like you should Miss Lucy," Paul assured her.

"Oh Paul, you know I cannot take the day off. Things would absolutely fall apart if I were to ignore my duties as head of the company," she said while standing and gathering her belongings.

I didn't want her to leave my sight, not even for one second so I decided that I would offer her a ride back to work.

"Darlin', why don't you let me and my friend escort you back to work? Just to make sure that you are okay?"

"That is very kind of you..." she paused, looking for my name.

"Jasper Whitlock, Miss."

"It is very kind of you, Mr. Whitlock, to offer me a ride back to my office but I will be fine taking a cab."

"Absolutely not, Miss Degas. I cannot sit here and wonder about what happens to you on the ride back to your office. I am sorry but I must accompany you, if only to keep my own sanity."

"Please Mr. Whitlock, I beg you just –"

"Sorry half-pint but you ain't gonna win with him. Trust me I know, I live with him. I drove and I would also like to make sure you are safe. We don't want you to faint again. I promise to drive straight to your office building, nothing funny. We will walk you up to your office and once we see that you are settled we will leave. You have my word," said Peter.

She paused for a second before reluctantly nodding her head in acceptance. With that settled, I took her things from her and motioned for her to follow Peter out of the restaurant. He better make sure everything is safe for her out there. No one was going to hurt her, or even come near her unless I deemed them worthy enough to be in her presence. We reached the car fairly quickly and I placed her belongings in the backseat before opening the door for her. I offered her my hand and she timidly placed her hand in mine as I helped her into the car. Once I saw that she was settled I gently shut the door and jogged around the driver's side. Peter sat in the back to make sure her belongings weren't damaged during the ride. I drove as she gave clear directions and managed to find a parking space right outside of her building. It was an impressive building, at least twenty stories high, if not more. She told us her office was on the top floor as we walked to the elevator. The ride up was surprisingly short, and she lead us to her office. When we reached it we saw that the door was slightly ajar and Lucy paused.

"What is it darlin'?" I asked.

"I know I locked my door before I left. I am sure of it."

Peter and I exchanged a look over her head. I motioned for him to go on and open the door and check everything out. If there was a threat I would eliminate it before it even had the chance to think about hurting her. Peter walked forward and slowly pushed the door open, only to find an interesting sight behind the door.

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AN: Okay so this is my first time writing fanfiction for Twilight. I am not really a fan of the books or movies, but I am fascinated by Jasper's character and Jackson Rathbone, the actor. So with that said, please don't be too mean with your comments. I appreciate all constructive criticism. Please click on the link and review this story. I promise I do read them all. Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own the Twilight Saga__. Just my original characters._

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**Jasper POV**

It is very hard to shock a vampire. We have heightened sense that allow us to know when something or someone is approaching our territory. And Peter and myself were specially trained in military tactics and technique so there was no possible way for something or someone to catch us off guard. But I should have guessed that the one woman in our merry little coven would have been able to get one up on her husband. Once Peter fully opened the door to Lucy's office I saw Charlotte there with an older looking woman, most likely Lucy's secretary. What on earth was she doing here? There is no way that she could know about Lucy already. I just found her about an hour ago and the only reason Peter knows is because he was with me. Charlotte should not be here. She is an unknown. I could feel my beast rattling against its cage. My mate did not know why things were not as she left them and that did not sit well with me. My beast was screaming to be set free, to eliminate what was upsetting her. But I somehow managed to keep my head, just barely. The two women snapped their heads in our direction when we opened the door, Charlotte's eyes widening when she heard me growling. She wisely lowered her head and turned it slightly to the side, offering her neck to me. The most submissive act a vampire could offer their maker. She knew what happened if I was disobeyed when I was like this. The human woman shook herself out of her stupor and addressed my mate.

"Lucy! I am so glad you're back. We have so much to discuss."

I heard Lucy sigh tiredly behind me and I started to growl even deeper. I was very close to losing it when Char spoke up.

"Hello Ms. Degas. My name is Charlotte Whitlock. I saw your request for a personal assistant and I came by for an interview. Your secretary has been filling me in on all of the duties I would be required to do if I am hired. Anna informed me that you were due back from your lunch break soon and I was hoping to have my final interview with you today. I hope you don't mind."

I could feel Lucy's confusion climb higher. I wanted to calm her down but that would have meant using my power. It was just too risky. I did not even know if my power would work or if it would back fire. I knew she was my mate, after having an internal battle with my own mind on the way to her office from the restaurant. I could feel her, which means that she has to be the reason, or part of the reason, I shut down for so long. No, I wouldn't risk hurting her.

"Anna, I don't understand. I never put out a request for an assistant. I am so sorry Mrs. Whitlock, that you came all this way. If you would just give me a moment to get settled here I will fully compensate you for your troubles."

"Lucy, dear heart, I know you personally didn't request an assistant. I did," said Anna.

"But why? I don't understand. I don't need any help."

"Oh yes you do, missy. You are so overworked and you are always running from place to place. You are completely exhausted every morning, and don't try to tell me differently," Anna said fiercely.

Lucy's defensive mood dissipated and she was left feeling deflated. At that moment I knew I had to do something. I couldn't let her continue to feel rundown like this. Maybe having Char helping her with her work would be a good thing. Lucy would be able to relax and take time for herself. Char would be the perfect assistant since vampires were the epitome of multi-taskers and were incredibly fast and efficient. Yes, this could work out very well in my favor. Lucy would be free to spend more time with me. We could focus on each other and then I would claim her, mark her. Lucy was not going to speak up any time soon, so I decided to step in for her.

"If I may, I would like to say something."

I paused here to make sure that I had everyone's attention.

"It seems like Miss Lucy, here, is a very busy woman. It is obvious that she runs this entire place and that is very impressive. And to suddenly learn that she only has one secretary to help with office work is a bit disconcerting for me. You must be extremely worn out, darlin'. Charlotte is my sister-in-law so I can vouch for her if need be. I really think you should let Charlotte help you, Lucy."

There was a small window of silence filled with numbness before things exploded. I felt Anna's relief and happiness that I was on her side. I could feel Peter's smugness, but what else was new there. He was also feeling pride, but for who or what I did not know. Charlotte was excited, yet worried. She should not have been worried. I was taking care of my mate and providing her own ass with a job to keep her from meddling in my life. I knew I was doing right by my mate. That is, until I felt an intense dose of righteous anger and indignation. There was only one person who I had not accounted for yet. Lucy Degas.

"While I respect your opinion and appreciate your concern for m well being, I am afraid I must disincline to acquiesce to your request," my girl said with a fire sparking in her dark eyes.

I could have sworn that her dark brown eyes turned pitch black. But that wasn't possible. She was human, with the beauty of an immortal, but human nonetheless. Right?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," I replied, widening my eyes to make me look slightly pathetic.

"I accept your apology. I trust that you will remove yourself from my business in the future. I thank you for your help back at the restaurant and in seeing me safely to work, but I will not require your assistance any longer –"

"Help at the restaurant? What happened, Lucy? Did something happen to you? Are you alright?" Anna fired rapidly.

"Nothing happened, Anna. I'm fine," Lucy said quickly.

She wasn't the best liar and I didn't even need to be an empath to feel or see that. Her left eye twitched and she couldn't make eye contact with anyone in the room.

"Ms. Degas, if I remember correctly, which I do, you nearly fell out of your chair and would have cracked your little head open if it hadn't been for me catching you at the last minute," I said with a smile.

"Lucy!" Anna gasped with a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"Anna, it was nothing, trust me," Lucy replied with a glare in my direction, desperate to en the conversation.

"Darlin', it wasn't nothin'. You passed out and when you came to, your blood sugar level was low. You're obviously not takin' care of yourself like you should," I said, using my accent to try to woo her to my line of thinking.

Before she could open her mouth to retort, Char spoke up again, this time really saving my ass.

"Ms. Degas, if I may. I think my brother-in-law might just have a point."

"What?" Lucy exclaimed.

"I just think that I may know what Jasper is trying to say. And I think I can put it in a less demeaning manner," Char said while sending me a rather scathing look.

I felt Peter's amusement spike up another level along with his smugness. I turned my glare on him and sent his ass a rather healthy dose of fear. That fixed that problem.

"I appreciate your offer, Charlotte, really I do. But I already have so much on plate right now that I just cannot manage an assistant on top of it all," Lucy sighed.

"You would not have to manage me, Ms. Degas. I can work independently and I am very efficient. I would not be another chore for you to handle. Quite the opposite, really. I would be able to handle all of the less important tasks so that you would have more time to focus on the things that need your full attention. I think it would be really good for you, especially since you run more than one company. Plus, it would give me a break from those two," she finished as she chucked a thumb in my direction with a frown.

Lucy was settle at her desk by this time. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, thinking over Char's offer. I must admit she was much more diplomatic than either myself or her husband. I could only hope that Lucy would see the wisdom in Char's words. There was no way I would allow her to tire herself out anymore. I would make sure that she had people to do that trivial shit for her. And Char would be explaining everything she knew about Lucy once we returned to our home. I needed to know as much as possible about her in order to properly protect her. Not to mention that it would be most helpful when charming that tight little body of hers into my bed. I heard Lucy sigh and take a deep breath before answering Char's proposal.

"Okay, Charlotte. I think I am willing to try you out as my assistant. The offer is a one week trial period and after that, if I feel you are capable enough to handle the position, I will hire you full time."

"That sounds wonderful. I can start tomorrow so what time do you want me here?"

"Can you be here and ready to work at 8am sharp?"

"Absolutely, Ms. Degas. I'll be here."

"Good. Now if you all will please excuse me, I need to prepare for my meeting. Anna will show you out."

With that said, Anna escorted us out of Lucy's office, but not before I sent one last look at Lucy, catching her gaze. I made sure to send a few small waves of lust and saw her beautiful eyes darken even more, turning black. So it wasn't my very active imagination earlier when we were arguing. She is a special girl, a very special girl. I would have to make a few phone calls once we returned to the house. I was paused just outside the door when it slammed closed in my face. Cheeky little vixen. Oh yes, Eleazar and Carlisle are gonna be on the next flight to Paris. We had work to do.

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**Lucy POV**

What a day!

So much had happened in such a short amount of time. I'm surprised that I did not lose my sanity today. First, there was the incident at the restaurant. I should have known that I would not be able to have a quiet lunch on a beautiful day. Though it was cloudy, it was not raining and to me, that meant a beautiful day. I was truly grateful for Jasper and his brother being there at the right time. They were nice enough to make sure that I was okay and see me back to work safely. But then Jasper seemed to change into some different person. Was he bipolar or something? I hoped not. He was too beautiful to be crazy. Wait! Where did that thought come from? I thought Jasper was beautiful? Okay, so maybe he was, but that's strictly speaking from a designer point of view. That was all. I had no time to even entertain thoughts like that. I had too much to focus on, too much to deal with right now. There was simply no time. Besides, no one would even look twice at me. Sure, I had a strong business persona and personality, but that was it. No one had ever asked me out, no one had ever complimented me on my beauty because I had none. If I was beautiful, I wouldn't be alone. I would have friends my own age. I would be out at night, having fun and going to parties. But I was not beautiful, I was not pretty, I was not having fun. Don't get me wrong, I love Charles and Anna and everyone else that worked for me and lived with me. But it just wasn't the same. Something was missing. I needed more. I needed to feel wanted. I longed to come home from a long, hard day at work to a pair of well-muscled arms, open and waiting for me to step into them. I imagined being held and cuddled in his strong embrace, while we sat in front of the fireplace after a romantic dinner for two. A blanket wrapped around us as the fire danced softly, talking in hushed tones as if anything louder would ruin the mood. I could almost feel his large, yet gentle hands running up and down my back, lulling me to sleep. I feel him press his lips to the top of my head and smile because he is amused by me tiredness. I could imagine myself pushing on his muscular chest to raise myself to his eye level. I can see his golden eyes with rings of blue, sparkle in amusement before darkening with an intensity that shakes my very core. I feel him take a deep breath and exhale as he lowers his lips to mine.

"Oof!" I grunted as one of my dogs jumped on my stomach.

Ugh, and just when I was getting to the best part. I briefly wondered why his eyes stood out to me, but shrugged and guessed that they were always that color to me when I imagined my dream guy, but I only noticed them tonight. I guess ending that daydream was for the best. There was no use in wishing. Wishing only got you so far. I shook my head to clear those thoughts and decided to work on my fashion line for a few hours before going to bed. I placed my puppy on the floor and changed into my pajamas. Once I was wearing a comfortable pair of shorts and a tank top I grabbed my laptop and hopped back into bed. I pulled up my design files and sighed. Just looking at all of the unfinished files made me nervous and exhausted. This made me think about Charlotte. Once everything has settled down at work after the Whitlocks left, I started thinking that hiring Charlotte was a very good idea. Just between helping Anna with all of the office paperwork, preparing for my meeting, fighting with those dim-witted men in said meeting and trying to manage all of my other businesses and projects, just proved that I needed help. _Well, at least now I'll have some help in one area of my life_, I thought. Maybe I should think about getting a few more assistants to help with everything else. Maybe Jasper was right. I am always tired and I never have any time for myself. But God help me if I ever admit that to his face. I bet he would just love that. Yeah, never gonna happen.

Knowing that my concentration was gone for the night, I placed my computer back on my desk and went into my bathroom. I completed my nightly routine and climbed back into bed. I turned off the lights before snuggling down into my blankets for the night. I sighed deeply before closing my eyes and slipping into a wonderful dream for the duration of the night.

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**Jasper POV**

Ring, ring...ring, ring...ring –

"Hello?"

"Hello, Carlisle."

"Jasper?"

"It has been a long time, hasn't it my old friend?"

"I would say it has. I have not seen you since you transferred that bootlegging business to me back in 1928. This is not about that, is it?"

"No my dear friend, it is not. Can I not call to ask how the family is fairing?"

"Of course you can. We lover hearing from you. But this is rather out of the blue."

"Ah, so you are suspicious of your old friend, are you?"

"Quite frankly, yes."

"Oh Carlisle, how I appreciate your honesty. But yes, you are correct. I do have an ulterior motive for calling you. I need your help."

"Are you in trouble? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that. Although I might be in trouble later," I said while chuckling to myself, letting my mind wander with all of the possibilities of me and my mate in various sexual positions. "I have found my mate."

"..."

I was met with complete silence on the other end. Apparently the good doctor was struck speechless. Well, well, well.

"Carlisle, are you still there?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes, uh, I'm still here. You have found your mate? Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure! How dare you doubt me? Do I need to remind you of who you are speaking to?"

"No, of course not. Please forgive me. I truly meant no offense by it. I was merely shocked."

"Good to hear," I said with an icy tone.

"I am truly happy that you have finally found your mate. It is one of the most joyous moments in a vampire's existence. If I may ask, where did you find her? Where are you now? Is she there with you?"

"Eager, aren't we Carlisle? To answer your questions in order I found her in a quaint little French restaurant on the _Avenue des _**_Champs-Élysées_** , I am currently residing in a house just outside of Paris, France, and unfortunately, my mate is not with me at the moment. It is why I called you."

"Not with you? Jasper, I don't understand. Why is she not with you? Did she...did she –"

"No! She did not reject me!"

"Then why –"

"Because she's a fucking human!"

Heavy breathing echoed my own. This is why I liked Carlisle. He caught on quickly. I didn't need to explain things. I could always count on him for a plan.

"Human?" he whispered.

"Yes, human. But that's not all."

"There's more?"

"Yes. She has no idea about what I am. She is completely innocent. But I feel there is more to her then meets the eye. She is special."

"Special how?" he asked, going into his famed doctor mode.

"I'm not sure, and neither is Peter and that's what scares me. As soon as I was around her I was able to feel emotions again, even the slightest emotion. I'm pretty sure my gift is working properly again but I would need to test that theory. And her eyes, Carlisle, her eyes. They were black as night, just like ours can be."

"Are you sure? Were they naturally that dark? Or did they change?"

I explained my entire day, the restaurant, meeting her assistant, to leaving her office. I told him how I sent her a few small waves of lust and saw her eyes change from dark brown to pitch black before her office door slammed in my face. Vampires have perfect eyesight. I could not have imagined her eyes changing. My mate was special.

"Jasper, I am sorry to say that I am at a loss. I honestly have no clue. I wish I could be of more help."

"I understand. But there is a way for you to help me."

"Jasper, I'll do anything to help you get your mate. You have been unhappy for so long. You deserve your paradise. Tell me what I can do to help."

"You can get you family on the next flight to Paris, France. Your entire family, Carlisle."

"You mean Eleazar," he stated rather than asked.

"His gift might work on her. He might be able to help."

"You may be right. It is best to cover every possibility concerning your mate. We will do everything to help you and her. I'll call Eleazar and inform him of what's going on. We will make all the necessary arrangements to relocate permanently to Paris. I'm sure Esme and the children will be glad to take a break from small town America."

"Thank you, Carlisle. If this works out, which it better, I will owe you my life."

"I will see to it personally that you will have your mate. I promise she will be yours soon."

"Thank you, old friend."

"I must ask that you do not reveal your true self to her just yet. We need time to figure everything out. I know it is a lot to ask, but it is of utmost importance that you restrain yourself."

"You cannot expect me to leave her alone. She is MY mate. MINE! No one is allowed to have her but me! NO! I refuse!"

"Jasper, calm down. You have misunderstood me. I am not asking you to go away. I am not asking you to leave her. Just don't reveal that you are a vampire. I know your instincts will be screaming at you to do the opposite, but you must refrain, at least for the time being."

"I'm sorry I yelled. I just can't...it hurts to even think that..."

"I understand, believe me I do. I understand more than you know. You can still be with her, just don't scare her away. And whatever you do, do not influence her emotions. That seems to be the trigger for her. I will call you before our flight takes off from Seattle."

"Carlisle, I do appreciate everything you're doing for me. Thank you."

"Of course. You are family to me, you know that. Now before we hang up, may I know the name of the lovely girl who has captured your heart?"

"Lucy Degas."

A couple of piercing screams echoed in my ear as Carlisle hung up the phone.

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**AN: Well, I hoped you liked this chapter. What is Jasper planning for Lucy? Who screamed at the Cullen residence? What is going on with Jasper's gift? And why the hell is Peter so happy and smug? You'll find in the next few chapters, but you have to review in order for me to update. I am always open to any and all ideas. So please feel free to send them to me in a review. Just click that little link down there and send me some love. Let me know what you would like to see happen in this story. And I would just like to thank all of you who have reviewed my story, and put it on your alert list and favorite list. You all rock. I will try to update as soon as possible but it will most likely not be until sometime next week. _Salut_ for now, _mes amies_.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Twilight. Only my original characters.

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**Carlisle POV**

The day after I talked to Jasper my entire house was turned upside down. The women were running around trying to get the perfect outfit together to meet this Lucy Degas. I could only assume that with Alice's squealing, she was some type of fashion person. There were more pressing matters for me to worry about. The Denali coven would be here at any moment and I would need to talk to Eleazar immediately. Eleazar has seen the process of mating with a human, so he would definitely be of some help to Jasper. I just hope that Jasper's situation won't get out of control. I have never heard of a human having powers that manifest themselves before they were turned. Sure certain characteristics and qualities are magnified when one is turned but they were never strong enough to control these powers as a human. Yes, this was a most strange case. I was aware of witches and warlocks, and all other mythical creatures that exist but Jasper said nothing of her resembling a witch. He would have smelled the magic in her blood. It is very distinct, he would not have missed it.

Emmett and Edward were wisely hiding away in my office, leaving me in the midst of the crazy women. I love my wife and I love my daughters but sometimes they were quite the handful. Esme stopped her frantic pace for a moment, noticing that I was not readying myself for the trip.

"Darling, what is it?"

"It is nothing. I am just waiting for Eleazar."

"Carlisle, darling, I know you. I am your wife. There is nothing you can hide from me."

"You right, my dear wife," I sighed.

"Will you tell me?"

"I am worried about Jasper's mate."

"What about her? She is very successful on her own, and would not want for anything. And according to Jasper she seems perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

"Yes, I know. But that is not what worries me. It is her powers."

"Powers?"

"Yes, Jasper thinks that she may possess some sort of power. He says that she is able to access this power now, as a human."

"Is she a witch?"

"No, he didn't smell anything. And you remember that particular scent that witches and warlocks give off. He would have noticed."

"Yes, those herbs are not the most pleasant scent, but not as bad as those shape shifters and werewolves."

"Esme, I know he is not my son by birth, nor is he my son by venom, but I cannot help but worry about him. He struggles so much already with the Major in his head. What if she doesn't want him? What if she rejects him? You know as well as I do that he will not go quietly. He would kill everyone in a rage and then most likely kill that poor girl, before really going off the deep end."

"Oh my darling, I can feel your fear, and I am no empath," she said as she wrapped me in her comforting embrace.

I wrapped my arms around her small frame, inhaling her beautiful scent of lilies and freshly cut grass. I loved my wife like no other. I am thankful that I found her when I did. I do not know what would have happened if I had not found her in time. A shudder passed through my body at the thought, and Esme rubbed soothing circles on my back, calming me instantly. I want this for Jasper. He deserves this. But his mate is human. A very well-known human, at that. I could only hope that things would go well once we reached France.

I heard a car turn into our drive and begin its journey to our house. I called the children to the living room to greet our guests and begin loading the cars. I had a feeling that we would not be back here for some time.

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**Alice POV**

"Can you believe Jasper? Only he would stumble upon his mate by accident and have her turn out to be one of the most admirable women in the world. It's like the perfect love story."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Rosalie! You cannot tell me that you aren't the least bit excited to see her. Even Esme is flipping out! Mom is flipping out over a fashion designer!"

"I can hear that, Alice, but think about it. She is a human. Sure, I love her stuff, but seriously? Jasper mated to a human? He eats them for fuck's sake!"

"Language, Rosalie!" Esme shouted from her room.

"Sorry, mom."

"I understand your worries, Rose, but you have to think about Jasper and the fact that he has finally found his mate. He deserves all the happiness he has coming to him. He has come so far since the Southern Vampire Wars."

"I get it, Alice. I do. But she has a life. A very public life. He can't just take that away from her. You know how voilatal he can get. I'm not saying he is going to kidnap her, but you have to consider his personality and how he was raised as a vampire in all of this."

"Do you think he would hurt her?"

"Intentionally, no. But who knows what could happen if the Major breaks that cage of his. I'm just saying that we should be prepared."

"Hmm. What do you think of this dress?"

"It's good. Pair it with some leggings and those new boots that you bought the other day and you'll look good."

I looked into the mirror again, examining the outfit. I nodded and tossed it into my suitcase.

"Do you think she'll like us?"

"Who? Lucy Degas?"

"I want her to like us. We're good vampires."

"I know that, Alice. But you heard Carlisle. None of us are getting near her until they figure out what she is."

"It doesn't matter what she is. She is a woman with the most fabulous fashion sense ever!" I giggled.

"This is true."

Rose went silent as she finished packing her suitcase. Once she was finished, she moved on to Emmett's things in their room. You couldn't trust that man as far as you could throw him, which wasn't very far.

I looked in the mirror again, this time wondering about my visions. I had not seen this coming. I mean, Lucy Degas! Jasper is one lucky bastard. She is not a wolf, so that explanation is out for my lack of sight. I could not figure out why I didn't see her. I have known Jasper since Carlisle introduced to the family back in the 1920s. My visions are tuned to people that I know or are somehow connected to the family or myself. I worried that I was losing my touch, when I felt my husband wrap his arms around me.

"What is it, love? Why are these thoughts running through your mind?"

"It's nothing. Just silliness."

"But it bothers you. I can tell."

"I know you can tell, Edward. You are a mind reader. I'm not stupid," I snapped.

His arms loosened their grip on my waist. I turned and wrapped myself around him, begging him to forgive me for my outburst.

"Please forgive me. I'm sorry! I'm just really stressed! I didn't mean to snap at you!"

"I know, love, I know. I am just worried about you. You focus so much on your visions that I fear I might lose you to them one day."

"That would never happen. I love you too much to go anywhere else."

He smiled that crooked smile and gently kissed my lips. We stood there for a moment, our lips just touching, before I couldn't take it anymore. I licked his bottom lip and pushed my tongue into his sweet mouth. His hands moved to my ass and lifted me before tossing me on our bed. He immediately climbed on top of me and assaulted my neck with his sugared lips. Just as his hand reached under my shirt, Carlisle called for us to come downstairs.

He moaned into my neck, causing a delightful shiver to pass down my spine at the feeling and the sound of my mate.

"I suppose we should go down there."

"If we don't Emmett will be up here in seconds."

"This is true," he sighed.

We straightened our clothes and I fixed my hair. He was about to put his hair back in order, when I stopped him.

"I like your hair like that. I think it's very sexy. Very you."

He smiled before throwing me on his back and waltzing down the stairs into the living, where we could hear the Denali coven the driveway.

**Carlisle POV

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Once the children were assembled, I went to the door and opened it for our guests.

"Hello, old friend. It is good to see you again."

"That it is, Carlisle. Though, I must say I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Of course. Please, come in and have a seat," I said while I gestured with my arm to my living room.

Eleazar and his wife, Carmen, entered first and immediately greeted Esme. It has been too long since the women had seen each other, so it was really nice for them to get to spend some time together before all of the shit hit the fan. Then the three sisters entered. Kate, Tanya and Irina were all very lovely, even by vampire standards. They were considered to be the reason for the legend of the succubus, but it is not true. They were simply having a good time before settling down with mates. Some vampires choose not to look for their mate for some time, for whatever reason. There is nothing wrong with that. But because they are female, their reputations are always dragged through the mud. I feel bad for them sometimes, but mostly I am in awe of them when they put others who judge them in their place. I would not want to be on their bad side. Thankfully, they think of me as an uncle so that means that I am usually off the hook, unless I get them the wrong designer for Christmas.

I looked around and saw that everyone was seated and waiting for me to begin my little speech. Emmett smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled back and began.

"I am sure that Eleazar has told you that we are all moving to France. And I am sure that he has filled you in as to why."

"Yes, Carlisle. But why did Jasper request all of us? I understand that you are very close to him, and Alice and Edward's powers would be very useful, but what about the rest of us. She is only human," Carmen said.

"Ah, see that is where you are wrong, Carmen. She is human, true, but she is more than human."

"Now you've gone and confused us. What do you mean that she is more than human? We are talking about Lucy Degas, yes?" asked Kate.

"Yes, Lucy Degas is Jasper's mate. I don't have to explain why that is a problem. She is very famous and is known all around the world. We need to approach this with a delicate hand, not only concerning her but also Jasper. I fear that the Major may make an appearance if we do not handle this situation in the proper manner. That is the last thing that we need. Now, as for Miss Degas being more than human, she seems to have manifested her powers already."

"Powers? Carlisle, you seemed to have left that little detail out in our previous conversation," Eleazar said as he leveled a look at me.

"Yes, and you must forgive me for that. I did not want to worry you. Jasper explained to me that he saw her eyes darken to the blackest of black and slam a door in his face without ever moving from her desk. Now, I am sure that you know that vampires have superior eyesight and it is extremely difficult for anything to slip past our senses. And before you ask, she is not a witch or any other supernatural creature that we know of. This is where Jasper needs your help. He is hoping that since she can exhibit her powers so strongly as a human, you would be able to tell what they are and what they could evolve into when she is turned."

"He is going to turn her? Is he insane? Has he finally lost his mind?" shouted Eleazar.

"Yes, he is going to change her. She is his mate. We will manage a believable story for the press. That is the easy part. The hard part is finding out what power or powers she has, and what those will be once she is a vampire. And lets not forget, keeping Aro out of the loop as much as possible."

"Carlisle, I have no idea how you can remain so calm in a situation like this. We are potentially dealing with the Major and will more than likely have the entire Volturi come down on our asses!"

"Don't you think I know that! I am not fighting with you! I am asking, no, begging for your help to make sure this situation does not spiral out of control! Please!"

The air was very tense. No one moved. No one even dared to blink.

After several tense minutes, Eleazar finally sighed.

"You must forgive me, my friend. I am sorry for taking out my frustration on you. I am just so scared and upset about this whole thing. This is our family that we are putting in danger. This could have serious consequences for us if the Major comes out to play."

"I understand, Eleazar, I truly understand. But I cannot help but think of Jasper as my son, too. I respect the Major as my superior and I will step down should he make an appearance, but Jasper is different from the Major and you know this. Jasper traveled with my family for some time and we all grew close to him. I want to help him. I need to help him."

Another silence engulfed the house, though this one was much more comfortable than the last. All of us were lost in our own thoughts. So lost was I, that I was rather shocked when Carmen spoke up.

"Carlisle, we will help you and your family help Jasper. If you consider him family, then we shall treat him the same. We will treat as part of our family. We will do whatever it takes to make sure he and his lovely mate are together."

"Thank you, Carmen. We all appreciate any help we can get," Esme said sweetly.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and shared smiles.

"Well, now that all of this is settled, we should start loading up the cars for the trip. Carlisle, dear, when is our flight?" my wife asked me.

"Our flight leaves at 9pm. We should pack everything and head to the airport. The jet should be ready once we arrive."

And with that everyone split up and started loading the cars with their luggage, Alice having the most bags, of course. Once the cars were loaded and the house was locked up, we headed out for Seattle International Airport. We were met by the pilot who helped us load the jet and get seated. Once the plane was cleared for take off and we leveled out in the sky, we all cuddled up to our mates or found something to entertain ourselves with. Esme snuggled close to my side and closed her eyes. I started to breath deeply and evenly, as if I were sleeping. This calmed her and if I am honest, it calms me as well. Sleep is something that I truly miss about being human. I wrapped my arms around her body and settled in for a very long flight. Even though we cannot sleep, it is nice to pretend.

This was going to be one of the most memorable adventures my family and I have ever embarked on, and one of the most dangerous, too.

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**AN: Okay, sorry for the long wait for this chapter. My Gram had some serious health issues that put her in the hospital. She is doing much better now and is home. And this chapter is short because it is a transitional chapter, to get the Cullens and the Denalis on their way to France. I will try to be better with my updates, most likely coming on the weekends only. Please leave a review. I try to respond to reviews now, because other people have told me that it makes people write more in their reviews. So yeah, please click the link and I will have the next chapter next weekend.**

***Thanks***


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Twilight. Only my original characters._

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**Jasper POV:**

I waited patiently for Carlisle's family to settle themselves in their rooms and return to the living room. I was anxious to get any information that I could on my mate. I would not wait forever. She was calling to me. Even if she didn't know it. They finally assembled themselves in the room and waited for me to start this meeting.

"Thank you all for comin' on short notice. I assume that you all understand why you are here."

They nodded their heads. Good.

"Lucy is my mate. Unfortunately, she is famous. This is a problem. I will not be denied my mate. We must figure out what to do about this."

Silence. Then Alice raised her hand.

"Yes, Alice?"

"Why don't you get to know her? You know, be her boyfriend. Do something for her that gets her to really notice you, that makes her want to spend time with you."

"I know how to woo my own mate," I growled.

"I wasn't suggesting that you didn't. But she is famous. Famous people are always followed by the paparazzi."

I growled louder this time. Those fools followin' her would pay. No one is allowed to follow her but me.

"Calm down, Jasper. If you would just let me finish for one second, please."

I growled again. She was irritatin' me. Her mate put a hand on her shoulder. Smart boy.

"Jasper, if you get her attention, you get the attention of the paparazzi."

"Your point, Alice?"

"That way it is easier to fake your deaths when the time comes. You are both famous, Lucy for being the most awesome fashion designer in the world, and you for being her arm candy."

Another rumble escaped my chest. This pixie was pushin' it.

"Famous couples are always tragically mourned when they die. Remember Brittany Murphy? She was found dead, and then a few weeks later her husband was found dead as well. Tragic. The whole world mourned but eventually got over it. Do you follow?"

"What the fuck does this have to do with me and Lucy?"

"Jasper, if you date her in the public eye, when we fake your death it won't be questioned."

"How can you be so sure?"

She gave me a look.

"Oh."

She smiled and snuggled into Edward's embrace. Such a strange creature. I had not idea how he managed her.

I took a deep breath and looked to my brother. He had the same shit-eatin' grin on his face that has been there for the past four hours. I don't even want to know what he was thinkin'. I learned the hard way that it is much better for my sanity to just let him go. Charlotte will deal with him.

"Carlisle, have you found anythin' that could explain what Lucy could possibly be?" I asked my old friend.

"I am sorry, Jasper. We have nothing concrete. I fear that the Volturi might need to be involved. Their library is the largest in the vampire world. They might hold the answer."

I pondered over this. I knew the Volturi. More specifically, I knew Aro. He likes to collect potentials. But I knew his weakness. I knew his fear. The Volturi would not be a problem.

"Call them. Ask them for access to their library. I need to know absolutely everythin'. If Aro gives you a problem, let me know. I will take care of him."

Carlisle nodded, agreeing to make the call after the meetin'. I turned to Eleazar.

"What have you sensed? Is there anythin' you can tell me?"

"Not right now, Jasper. But I am sure that if I meet her for a few minutes I will be able to sense her powers. If they are truly manifesting themselves as you say they are, then I should get a clear read on her."

"When do you want to meet her?"

"As soon as possible. It would be best to try to meet her before we go to Volterra for research. The less we have to ask of the Volturi, the better."

A phone rang before I could answer.

"Hello?"

It was Charlotte's cell phone.

"Charlotte Whitlock?" came my mate's voice.

My attention was solely on her voice, my body perched on the edge of the sofa, ready to run to her rescue if she needed it.

"Yes, this is she. Hello, Ms. Degas. How can I help you?"

"Oh thank god! I am absolutely swamped here. Paulo was supposed to run this photo shoot today and he is nowhere to be found. And several of my models have left, refusing to wait around any longer for him to show. And I don't know what to do! Charlotte, please tell me you can help me!" Lucy cried.

I couldn't bear her tears. I was already in the car, waitin' for Charlotte before she could even answer Lucy's cry for help.

"I am on my way right now, sweetheart. Where is the shoot supposed to take place?"

"We're actually in Versailles right now. Do you really think that you can make it on time? The shoot is already running late. I am worried more models will leave soon."

"I will be there with bells on. I will be bringing reinforcements. Just hold tight for a little longer. Everything will be okay."

"Are you sure?" she whimpered.

I was now growlin' loudly and impatiently. Rosalie and Alice were already in the backseat of the car, waitin' to leave. Kate, Tanya and Irina were in a car with Carmen and Eleazar. They were prepared to leave. Edward, Emmett, Carlisle and Esme were ready to go, as well. We were just waitin' for Peter and Charlotte.

"I promise. Just hold on a few more minutes and everything will be fine. I will see you soon."

"Okay, bye," she whispered brokenly.

Charlotte clicked the phone shut and joined me in the car. I floored it out of the garage and pushed the car to its limit. My mate needed me. She was in trouble. I didn't understand all of this fashion shit, but that's what the women were for. They could help her with that. I would calm her down. I would let her know that everythin' was okay.

Versailles was too far away at this moment for me, and we were only a few minutes away, thanks to my drivin'. The ache in my chest grew stronger as we got closer. It hurt like a bitch when I was away from her, but it was growin' stronger for some reason now as I got closer to her. It didn't make sense.

"Calm down, Major. She's hurtin' somethin' bad. That's why you feelin' this way. You can feel her pain from miles away. Probably even farther away, but I don't think testin' that theory is a good idea," Peter said calmly.

Stupid me. I'm a fuckin' empath. I should have known that it was her pain that I was feelin'. This girl has me actin' a fool, I swear.

We finally reached Versailles. I ordered Charlotte to call Lucy back and find out where she was. I didn't have time to wander around lookin' for her. We still had to appear human. We had to act liked we needed to be directed on where to go. I could sense her, but it would make her feel better knowin' that she was helpin' us find her.

I heard the cell phone ringin'.

"Hello?" Lucy sniffled into the phone.

Oh, fuck no! She was cryin'. Fuck! This was not goin' to be good for anyone. I could feel the Major pushing at his cage. Shit was gonna hit the fan. I gripped the steerin' wheel harder, feelin' it bend under my fists.

"Lucy! We're here, sweetheart. Where are you?" Charlotte asked in a calm voice.

"I'm, I'm near...at...the entrance...to the..._sniffle, sniffle_...Palace..._sniffle_...Gar..._sniffle_...Gardens."

"Okay, okay, we're coming. What happened, Lucy? Why are you crying?" Charlotte asked, trying to comfort her.

"They all left!" she wailed and cried even harder.

Now I was fuckin' pissed.

"Who left?"

"The models!"

"All of them?"

"Yes!" she said a cried harder, if that was even possible.

"Okay, okay! Calm down. Take a deep breath. Please, sweetheart. Just try to take a deep breath."

I heard her try to settle her breathin'. It wasn't workin'. She needed me. I pressed the pedal even further into the floor of the car.

"Good girl. Okay, we see you now. We're pulling up. We'll be there in a couple of minutes."

"Please hurry," my mate whispered.

I slammed on the brakes, most likely breakin' them. I immediately jumped out of the car, only to be grabbed by the scruff of my neck. I let out a vicious roar. Whoever it was dropped me.

"Jasper! Get your fuckin' ass back here!" screamed Peter.

"Fuck! You're pushin' me, Captain!"

"She's expectin' Charlotte, fucker! If you burst out there, you're gonna fuckin' scare her! Use your goddamn head for once!"

That made me pause. I didn't want to scare Lucy. I refused to be that monster in front of her. She would never see that side of me. Not if I could help it. I took a deep breath, her scent driftin' around with the flowers and shrubs of the Gardens.

"Then. what. the. fuck. do. you. want. me. to. do?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Let Charlotte go to her first, Major. You know she will be okay with her. Just let Char get the story, and then we'll slowly show ourselves. Lucy is under the impression that Char was comin' alone. Char needs to be alone, and then let her know that we are here with her."

I growled, just wantin' to get to get to my mate. But the Captain was right. I had only met Lucy once, and that was not enough for her to accept my presence. This would be much easier if she were a vampire. No waitin' required to claimin' your mate.

"Fine," I huffed, "you win. We sit and wait. Char knows to give a signal?"

"Yes, sir."

I let out another huff, not happy with bein' kept from my mate.

* * *

**Lucy POV**

I couldn't believe this! Not only did my photographer not show up, but all of my models just walked off the set. And now I stuck here with nothing but my pride, which has been severely wounded. I don't understand. I thought everything was fine, I thought everything would be okay. This is what happens when I try to do new things. I just fail, miserably fail. God, my parents would be so embarrassed. I am such an embarrassment. I have no idea how my companies have stayed running with me in charge.

I sat down at the entrance to the Versailles Gardens. There was nothing I could except cry until Charlotte gets here. I hope she could help me figure out a way to fix this mess I made. That's the only reason I can think of as to why my models left. I must have done something to upset them. Why do I always mess things up?

My cell phone rang and it was Charlotte. She was here. And from the way she spoke, it sounded like someone was with her. Great, more people to see my screw up. I hung up after directing her to my location. I put my head in my hands and felt a few more tears roll down my face. Why me?

"Lucy?"

I looked up and saw Charlotte standing in front of me. That just made me cry harder.

"Oh, sweetheart. Please don't cry. Everything will be okay," she said and wrapped me in her arms.

I took comfort in her, but I was still upset. I quieted down enough to speak clearly after a few minutes.

"My models walked off the set. My photographer didn't even bother to call and let me know that he wasn't going to be able to make it. And now I am stuck with all of this equipment and no one to help me. Do you think you can call a moving company and rent me a truck? I need to move this back to the warehouse since it won't be used today."

"All of your equipment? Where is it? How much is there?" Charlotte asked in a soothing voice.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I can gather everything and pack it. It's scattered all around this place. We were supposed to have the place all to ourselves, so the staff left once everything was set up. My crew was supposed to take it all down and pack it up, but as you can see, I have no crew. But I can just do it myself."

"Absolutely not!"

I was startled by her yell. And then I heard heavy footsteps running toward us. I looked over Charlotte's shoulder and saw a bunch of people. At least ten of them. Where did they come from? How did they get in?

"What's going on? Who are they? Charlotte?" I asked.

"Oh, that's my family. My insane family. We were driving around the countryside here when I got your call. As you can see, they all followed me here. I am sorry, sweetheart. Do you want them to leave?"

"No, um, that's fine. They can stay. Do you think they would mind helping me pack up? I could sure use it."

"I'll ask them. I'll be right back. Just sit tight," she said as she went to greet her family.

My shoulders hunched back over and I crossed my arms around my middle. I couldn't fall apart now. Her family was here. That must mean that her husband and her brother-in-law were here, too. God, I could not be a mess in front of Jasper. It would absolutely disgust him. I hurriedly dried my tears and wiped my face. It was a good thing I decided not to wear make-up. That would have been even more a disaster. I pulled myself together the best I could and watched as Charlotte and her family walked over to me.

"Lucy, sweetheart, this is my family. You have already met Jasper and Peter. These are the Cullens and the Denalis. There's Carlisle and Esme, Emmett and Rosalie, and Edward and Alice Cullen. And here's Eleazar and Carmen, Kate, Tanya and Irina Denali. That's all of us," she finished with a small smile, seemingly embarrassed by how large her entire was.

She was lucky to have them, as far as I was concerned. I had no one. Just my staff at my home.

"Ms. Degas, Charlotte told us about what happened. I am so sorry you have to deal with such unprofessionalism like that. You deserve so much better," the little pixie one said, with tears in her eyes.

The one with the weird hair put his arm around her and it seemed to calm her. How nice to have someone to lean on when you needed them.

"Darlin', are you okay?" asked Jasper.

His eyes were so kind, so full of concern. He was beautiful.

"Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. I just need some help cleaning up everything. Would you mind lending a hand?" I asked, looking up at him from under my lashes.

"We would be happy to help. Just tell us what you want us to do, darlin'."

I tried to tell them what I wanted them to do first, but I was interrupted.

"You don't need to clean up anything. We are here to help in another way!" the little pixie exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, not understanding.

"Well, you need models and a photographer, right?" she asked me.

"Yes, but they all left or didn't show up."

"That's where we come in. We can fill in for them!" she smiled.

"Why?"

"Because we all love your stuff. Your fashion line, your style, your character, everything! Oh please, let us do this for you. We have experience!"

"Um, well..."

"Alice, leaver her alone. She just wants to go home. Lets just help her. Don't smother her," Jasper said in a firm voice, a very sexy firm voice.

"But..."

"Alice!"

"It's fine!" I shouted to get their attention. "Seriously, it is. You would all do that for me?"

They all nodded enthusiastically.

"You have no idea what this means to me. You have saved my new line. I promise to pay you for your time."

"You don't have to pay us, silly. We are just happy to model for you. We really are big fans of all your work," a tall blond giggled.

"Are you sure you want this, darlin'? I know they can be pushy. Just say the word and I'll get them to back off. I don't want to stress you out. You seem to have had a bad day already," Jasper whispered to me.

"Oh, no! This is perfect! Your family has saved everything for me! I won't have to reschedule anything. Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means," I said as I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him with all my strength.

He was solid, like hugging one of the marble statues that decorated these gardens. He smelled divine. Like brown sugar, honey and roasted chestnuts. Perfection. I felt his arms wrap around me and hold me close to his body, even closer than I already was. God, he was so addicting. Reluctantly, I pulled back and looked into his eyes. If only I could stay lost in them. But I had a job to do. And his family was willing to help for nothing in return. I just had to do something for them.

"You're absolutely sure?" Jasper asked one last time, gently running his fingers through my hair.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Alright, darlin', show us where you want us."

I extracted myself from his embrace, but he kept a hand on my back as I lead the family to where hair and make-up was located. I don't know how this was going to work, but I had a feeling that as long as Jasper was around, everything would be fine.

* * *

**AN: Sorry this is so late. Busy, busy, busy at work = completely exhausted on the weekend. But I hope you liked it. And now...the project! What I need you all to do is come up with outfits for each of the characters, including Lucy, to wear for the photo shoot. There is a site, polyvore(dot)com, where you can create your own outfits. Please, I am begging you, create outfits and send me the links in a review or PM. I have no idea what they should be modeling. Any ideas will be very helpful. Thanks all!**

**Substitute (dot) with a .  
**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I own my original characters, such as Lucy._

**_AN: I am so sorry for the delay. I just have not had the time nor the energy to sit down and write. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me and I want to thank all my new readers for putting my story on their favorites and alerts. It means a lot to me. I like knowing that this story is making people happy and that they are reading it._**

**_On the flipside, I need to express an opinion of mine about this website in general. This is a fiction website. Please treat it as such and remember so when you are reviewing any story on here. I recently had a reviewer tell me something was wrong with my story, because it didn't follow the book. If you are going to act like that in a review, please keep your comments to yourself. I am sure I am not the only author on here that it has happened to, but please refrain from doing so in the future. It is annoying and insulting. _**

**_So, now that all of that is out of the way, please enjoy this chapter. There is a little more Lucy/Jasper action in here, and she starts to notice little things about him and Edward._**

* * *

**Lucy POV:**

I lead the way to the tents, and showed the girls their outfits for the shoot. We were only doing the outside shoots here, and then we would travel to another location to finish the shoot. I still could not believe that Charlotte's family was kind enough to help me, and for nothing. Not to sound conceited or anything, but being as famous as I am you tend to have people do favors for you and then expect something in return. It was nice to experience true friendship for once. Sadly, I was one model short, but I could deal with that.

They quickly dressed and readied themselves with hair and make-up and were soon ready to go. The boys were all waiting outside, and when the girls exited the tent theirs mouths dropped, including Jasper's. The girls looked stunning. My clothes fell perfectly on their frames. I could not have asked for better models. I guess the other unprofessional models walking out was actually a good thing. I could also tell that the boys really liked my new clothing line, seeing as how they could not pick their jaws up off the ground and they were staring at their significant others. I wondered who Jasper was staring at, but since they were mostly Charlotte's family, I guessed he was staring at the Denali sisters. They were very beautiful. I could see why Jasper would want to look at them. Shaking my head, I focused on what needed to be done right now.

"Okay, everyone, we need to get going. I really don't want to waste too much time here. I just need to get a few shots of each girl and then we can move on to the next location. If this is going to be too much for anyone, please let me know, so that I may try to find a replacement," I said, trying to be assertive.

"We'll be fine. We're your for the day, Ms. Degas," Alice smiled sweetly.

"Okay, then. Well, we should head over to the gardens and get ready."

I started leading the way, hearing the others walk behind me. I felt a hand on my lower back, gently pressing me forward. I looked over to see Jasper on my left side. I quickly looked down, feeling a blush come to my cheeks. He was walking next to me with his hand on my back. I felt like such a school girl, all giggly and giddy. I was a professional, and I should be acting like one, but this man could reduce me to a meek, little mouse in seconds with just a touch of his hand upon my person. How did he do it? Did he have some kind of magical power that he used on women to make them swoon all over him, or was he actually that charming? I shivered slightly and tried to move away from his touch so he would not notice the effect he had on me.

"What's goin' on, darlin'? Are ya cold?" he asked, pulling me closer to his side and rubbing my arm to warm me up.

"I, I'm fine, Jasper. Really. I just realized-"

I cut myself off realizing that I did realize something. Something that was very important.

"What is it? Is somethin' wrong?"

I was silent. I couldn't find my voice. How could I have overlooked this? How stupid could I be?

"Darlin'?"

"The photographer."

"What about him?"

"There is no photographer."

"What do you mean? No one is here to take the photos?"

"No! He never showed up. He never called. What am I going to do? I can't have everyone model and have no one take the pictures. I can't believe I was so stupid! I should have made sure that everything was set before I even thought of accepting everyone's offer to help me out. Now I have interrupted your day for no reason and your family is going to be so mad at me. God, why can't anything ever work out? Why-"

"Lucy!" Jasper shouted, as he stopped me from walking, taking my shoulders in his hands and forcing me to look at him.

I stopped my rambling and looked into his eyes. His golden eyes had me captivated. I could not look away. It was as if some force held me in place. To be honest, I wasn't fighting against it.

"Lucy, darlin', it's okay. We can ask one of the guys to take the pictures. You can tell us what to do, and everythin' will be fine. I need you to calm down, please. I don't like seein' you all out of sorts for nothin'. This is somethin' we can fix easily. Just breathe and calm yourself," he said soothingly.

I listened to what he was telling me. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I knew he was right about the situation, but it still made me nervous. I didn't know how I was going to ask this family for another favor. They were already doing so much for me. Jasper must have seen the reluctance on my face, because the next thing I know, he was calling over Eleazar.

"Eleazar! Will you please come here for a moment?"

I tried to pull away and plead my case that I could just take the photos myself, but Jasper was having none of it. Eleazar jogged over to us, since the group was now in front of us, due to our stopping because of my rambling.

"Is something wrong?" Eleazar asked kindly, smiling lightly.

I noticed that he had a bit of a Spanish accent. I wondered where he was originally from, since he definitely wasn't American like Jasper and some of the others.

"Everythin's fine, just workin' out some last minute details. But we do need your help with somethin'," Jasper said softly.

"Anything. What is it?"

"Lucy needs a photographer. The one she hired skipped out on her before he even showed up. The rat didn't even call to say that he wasn't comin'. I thought, since you had some experience with photography, that you might be able to help her out today. What do you say?"

"Of course! As much as I love to look at my wife, I would love to capture her on film. Is this alright with you, Ms. Degas? I do not want to overstep any boundaries by any means," Eleazar answered, turning to face me.

"Um, no, um, I mean, that's fine. I guess, I mean, I think so. Yes, um, yes, that is okay. Um, thank you. I'm sorry for sounding like this, but I am shocked. I-"

"It's quite alright, sweet girl. Just relax, and I will take care of everything. Tell me what you want and what you need done, and where you want everyone to be. Trust me, you're fine," Eleazar reassured me.

I just smiled in return. I could not find the words to express my gratitude. These people were beyond amazing.

"Thank you, thank you," I said softly, deciding that the simplest expression of gratitude was best in this situation.

Eleazar smiled at me in return and then hurried to move to the front of the group again. I looked at Jasper and saw him staring at me, very intently. I started to feel a little self-conscious. I tugged on my hat nervously, but felt his fingers gently pry mine away from my hat, and hold them in his own.

"See, everythin's fine. Just like I said," he cooed.

"Fine, everything is fine," I whispered back.

"Good. Now, Ms. Degas, lets get to work."

With my hand still held in his, he tugged me forward. I was still worried that things would go wrong, but I felt a strange sense of calm come over me. It was like I just knew that today would be perfect. I had a feeling that Jasper had something to do with it. But it could be that it's just his personality, and that he was good at making people feel better. That's most likely what it was, and I should just forget these fussy feelings I had inside. He was not doing all of this to impress me; he was just helping his sister-in-law do her job. The job that I hired her to do. He was just being a decent human being. I was reading into it way too much.

* * *

We finally reached the Cloisters, and everyone turned to me, waiting for further instructions. I had this picture in my mind, how everything would look and how everything would be. But for some reason I could not put it into words. They were waiting patiently, and here I was acting like a fool. I was about to give up and just act it all out, when Edward, I believe, spoke up.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to make a suggestion," he said tentatively.

"Okay," I answered slowly.

"Well, since you have many levels to work with and different spaces to hide in or highlight, I think that putting the girls here and there, staggered throughout the garden and walkway, would be a nice visual. You can have some sitting, some entwined with the flora and fauna, maybe one simply walking down the stone path, either toward or away from the Cloisters. I know it is overcast today, but I still think you can get some great shots in before it gets any darker. But you don't have to do that. You can just do whatever you had in mind. You just seemed hesitant about something, and I thought it was about what to do with this space and time frame. I'm sorry if I overstepped any lines. Please forgive me," he finished.

I stood there in shock. It was like he read my mind.

"Thank you, Edward. You somehow managed to get inside my head and pull out exactly what I wanted to say."

There was a sound that rumbled through my chest, almost like a growl. I looked around, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The landscape crew said that the area was clear of any stray animals and people. Such a strange occurrence. Oh well, I really didn't have the time to figure it out right now.

"Okay, so, lets get started. Eleazar, the cameras and extra lighting, should you need it, are on the entrance steps to the Cloisters. If you could run and grab those and then get set up, that would be great. Boys, if you could just clear any debris or stray plants from the open spaces I would appreciate that. And girls, it is time to model. Hopefully this won't take too long. I want Esme walking down the stone pathway, coming toward me from the Cloisters. So if you could get set up just at the base of the stairs, you can start walking from there when Eleazar is ready. Rosalie and Tanya, I want you two sitting on the stairs, about halfway up, thank you. Alice and Kate, please situate yourselves on these little stone pillars, diagonal from each other. Carmen, Charlotte, Irina, I need you three in the spaces between the hedges. There should be platforms there so that you can be seen from head to toe. If you need help getting up there, please ask one of the boys."

That was the final order for now. Everyone moved at once, getting into position. Everyone did as they were told, which made my job a lot easier. I didn't like yelling at people. It wasn't in my nature. Eleazar came back with Carlisle and the equipment. They set up several cameras, and had Emmett and Peter setting up some extra lighting, which was expertly hidden by the large hedges in the Cloisters. Jasper and Edward were making sure the girls were in the right place, glancing to me for my approval every so often. I was happy with the picture, but I wasn't satisfied with it. Something was missing. It wasn't balanced.

"Ms. Degas?"

"Lucy, please," I answered, turning and seeing Edward looking at me again.

"Does everything look okay to you? Are we ready to start?"

"Everything's good. I just feel like something is missing, but we have everyone here."

"Do you like where the girls are?"

"Yes, they are fine. I just feel like something else needs to be in there for the shot to look balanced. I know I already have eight girls, but it just doesn't look right."

"You were going for an uneven number?"

"Yes. I wanted nine, but eight will have to do."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why don't you get in there for the shots? Then you will have the number of models that you want."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I am not dressed appropriately. I will throw everything off."

"I think you look fine. Are these clothes you are wearing not from your new line?"

"No, they are, but they are only the prototypes. This particular military look is still in development for me. I'm not sure if I want to have it in my line."

"Well, then it makes sense to just put it out there as is, with you modeling, and see what your fans and your buyers think. It makes it easier than having too many meetings with all those people who are just going to stay for a few minutes but cause you a headache that you do not need. Am I right?"

I sighed. He had a point. He had a really good point. How the hell he was able to pluck that thought from my mind, I will never know. Maybe Jasper's magic is rubbing off on him or something.

"You are right."

He smiled a smug smile.

"But I have never actually modeled myself. Sure, I play around in my design studio, but that is just for my own fun."

His smile fell. It felt nice to one-up him today. But just as quickly as his smile fell, it was back on his face. I wonder if Alice found it as annoying as I did?

"There's no time like the present. You never know what people will say about something until you try it. Besides, I know someone who would be very eager to see you strut your stuff around here," he said, sliding his eyes over to where Jasper and the other boys were chatting about something.

I felt a blush creep up and fought to keep it down and act professional.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

"I really don't like you."

"I know."

"Don't you care?"

"Nope."

"What about Alice? You wouldn't want her to know that you upset me?"

"But you are not upset."

He had me there. I was just reluctant.

"Fine. Lets make a deal."

"I'm listening."

"I model this outfit, in a few photos, and you stop reading my mind, or whatever you are doing. Deal?"

He froze for a second, his mask dropping and revealing a shocked face. But just as quickly as it came, it was replaced with his cool mask of cool.

"Deal," he said firmly, shaking my hand.

He walked away with a swagger in his step. I had a feeling that he knew something that I did not. But I really didn't have the time to deal with him right now. Right now, I had to be Lucy Degas, famous fashion designer, and now, model. I took a deep breath and readied myself.

"Alright, everyone! We are ready to begin. Places please. Eleazar, Carlisle, please get in place for the photos. Emmett, Jasper, Peter, Edward, please be ready to assist Eleazar and Carlisle if they need it. I want to capture the mythology of this place. Think of the Muses, from the mythology of ancient Greece. Each of the girls, and myself, will represent a Muse. I want you to capture that in the photos. And when you do group shots, think of the Muses having a secret garden on Mount Olympus, their own private getaway, and you are there to capture a single moment in time."

I finished my speech and went to place myself in position. I sat myself on the ground, right in the middle of the pathway. Esme would be walking behind me, as I sat, with my legs tucked underneath me. Eleazar adjusted my hair and hat quickly before holding up his camera and clicking away. A slight breeze came and tossed my waves around my face. I gently tucked a few stray pieces behind my ear, and just concentrated on being in the moment. I could hear the clicks of the cameras, one far away and one almost right next to me. I closed my eyes for a second, and then opened them to find Carlisle next to me. I glanced at him shyly, from the corner of my eye and blushed when he smirked and clicked the camera. This continued for several more minutes before Eleazar came back to the front entrance to join Carlisle and wait for further instructions.

I stood up, brushing myself off, and saw that everyone was around me.

"Okay, I think that is all for this location. Thank you all, so much for doing this for me today. I know you probably had better plans and everything, but still, thank you. We are ready to break down and move to the next location. If we could all pitch in and grab everything, we can put it in all of the cars and you can just follow me to the palace."

"Palace?" Alice asked with a wide smile.

"Yes, a palace."

"Like where the kings and queens used to live?" Rosalie asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yes, that kind of palace."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Edward, start cleaning up! We're going to a palace!" Alice squealed as she sauntered off back toward the changing tents.

She was quite the ball of energy. And she ordered Edward around. I think her and I will get along famously. Everyone began cleaning up and loading the cars. Thankfully everything fit and we were able to get going much sooner than I thought we would. Hopefully, this next location will go as smoothly as this one. I looked around again, just to make sure that I didn't forget anything. Nothing was left behind, so I got in my car and was ready to pull away, when Charlotte knocked on the passenger window.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Not at all. Jump in," I smiled.

She quickly hopped in and in a few seconds, we were pulling out of the Gardens at Versailles, and were on our way to the next location. I had a feeling that things would be fine. I think Charlotte's presence had a lot to do with that. I am so thankful I let everyone talk me into hiring her.

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	8. Chapter 8

First, I want to apologize for not updating over two years. I didn't forget about these stories. After obtaining my Master's in English and my Master's of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, I find I am a much better writer than when I started on this site.

That being said, I have decided to take down these stories, and start new. Some will be the same, but with better writing, others will be completely different.

I apologize to those who were looking forward to the continuation of these particular story lines, but I feel it is for the best to start from scratch and give the readers on this site something worth reading.

Thanks for sticking with me, and hope any readers will follow me with my next endeavors.

I will say this. My next stories will be in the Lord of the Rings category.


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